The Omega's Price

Chapter 1: The Invitation

The car screeched to a halt and Gulf rushed out of the taxi, anxious to get away from the reckless cab driver. He threw his fare money to the man and walked towards his apartment, stomach queasy and nerves frayed. After a long day of work, he was anxious to get inside and rest, maybe take a bath and watch a movie. He shrugged his messenger bag further on his shoulder and fumbled the door to the foyer open. A waft of stagnant air slapped him in the face and he quickly strolled to his mailbox hoping to hurry into his apartment. He lived in a quiet neighborhood right on the cusp of a division of the good and bad parts of his smaller town.

As an omega he was lucky to even hold down a job to afford a apartment on his own. But he had learned early on to heavily track and regulate his heat cycle so he could live a normal life. He had put himself through college, his debilitating heats making it difficult to even graduate. Finally, he had found the suppressant mix that worked the best and had graduated from college, snagging a job as a guidance counselor for omega youth. He had devoted his life to supporting young omegas, helping to relocate them from potentially abusive households and guiding them educationally and medically. Being an omega was a balancing act. One mistake could tip the scales in the wrong direction.

After grabbing the stack of mail, he managed to maneuver into his apartment and headed straight for the sofa, he was getting headaches more often these days, a clear sign that his heat cycle was approaching. He sighed, hoping he wouldn't have to take days off work this time around. He refused to sleep with an alpha, relying heavily on his suppressants and willpower. He had made it this far. He set the mail down on the small, dark coffee table settled in front of his sofa, but a black envelope stood out from the rest of the plain, white envelopes catching his attention. His stomach growled and he decided to open it later, his hunger was more important.

Languidly he strolled towards the kitchen and fixed supper, his mind on the mysterious black envelope. What could be in it? Fifteen minutes later he was back at the coffee table. He picked up the envelope gingerly and swiftly opened it.

Dear Mr. Traipipattanapong, You are hereby cordially invited...

Gulf read the letter over and over as his stomach filled with butterflies at the details of the letter:

"...as your heat is approaching please refrain from taking any suppressants and engaging in any sexual intercourse one week prior to the event..."

His knees weakened and he sat on the floor with a thud. The opportunity to be included in a high society event was tempting but the repercussions were alarming. The reduction in population of alphas and omegas had high society in a panic as the main, wealthy families were left without heirs. The result? Every six months or so they held private "parties" full of alphas in rut and omegas in heat, the goal being to reproduce and recover their numbers. This would be the first time he was invited to such an event, his heat cycle normally falling out of line with the parties. He was nervous. If he attended he would most likely wind up pregnant with someone's baby.

Other omegas jumped at the opportunity to be included in such extravagant events, but he was scared. He had built his life from the ground up, is this how he wanted the rest of his days to go? Pregnant with some arrogant alphas baby and at the mercy of an extremely wealthy family? He sighed, surely they would accept him declining the invitation.

He wouldn't go.

He definitely wouldn't go.

No one could make him, right?

With his decision made, he tossed the letter in the trash.

His life was his own.

He had plans and dreams.